Your laundry room can be both pretty and functional when you consider these smart design tips from other homeowners.
Combine wide and narrow storage.
The laundry room cabinets in this space needed to maximize long-term storage but maintain counter space for workaday tasks. To do that, the homeowners installed a narrow shelf a few inches above the countertop, using turned shelf supports to add classic details to the space. Hooks add even more quick-use storage.
Make an unexpected turn.
The natural inclination in this sort of laundry room would be to place the appliances under the windows. But these homeowners gained much more storage and work space by shifting that by a half turn, placing a long work counter under the window, with laundry room cabinets and a shelf above the washer-dryer combo. Think about narrow areas differently to gain more laundry options: a pull-down drying rack saves space by folding up when not in use.
Add details for decoration.
In more expansive laundry spaces, you may have room for the little extras—a hanging rod, for example, or open shelves for laundry baskets. This pretty assembly keeps the space looking neat and tidy with a few extras, including mullions on the glass doors, uniformly colored containers and restrained punches of pattern and color. White laundry cabinets keep the space looking crisp and clean.
Add little details.
Trim and crown molding add visual heft to this contemporary laundry room. The mix of open and closed storage, pretty containers and cabinets that stop before reaching the ceiling give the collection a lighter look and feel. Added storage between washer and dryer units provides the perfect spot to store dryer sheets or detergent pods.
Pull color and accents from elsewhere.
Using laundry room cabinets to repeat other details in the space helps to create visual cohesion. Here, the horizontal open shelves mimic the subway tile and add a few crucial storage inches to the off-the-shelf cabinets. Closed white laundry cabinets above conceal items like detergent, bleach and other cleaners.
Seek out wasted space.
Put a fold-out ironing board in your repertoire of small laundry room cabinet ideas. A hidden nook between wall studs makes creative and clever use of what would be discarded space in this shared kitchen-and-laundry room. A miniscule ironing board folds up, while often-used products stay out in the open within easy access.
Don’t waste an inch.
Not having space for a full-fledged laundry room doesn’t mean you should sacrifice storage space. Try this laundry cupboard idea. These pretty wood cabinets with traditionally styled panels help blend the walk-through space with the rest of the home but provide critical storage for laundry detergent and other items.
Add slim counter cabinets.
Traditional laundry room cabinet ideas leave some space between cabinet and countertop. This laundry room makes use of that usually discarded area with slim storage cabinets, perfect for smaller laundry care items. Decorative drawer pulls add interesting accents, and the clever pet door under the sink supplies a hiding spot for the family’s furry friend.
Choose a multi-colored cabinet scheme.
Cabinets needn’t be the same color in a laundry room. Complementary hues, especially in a more neutral palette, help to lighten and brighten very small spaces. This pretty, contemporary laundry room cabinet design offers closed and glassed-in doors, as well as an open shelf for soaps and other laundry tools.
Take advantage of nooks and crannies.
An oddly angled space could have easily been a throwaway, but a unique combination of laundry room storage cabinets helped to turn it into a practical, pretty room. No upper cabinets help to keep the room bright and sunny, while a corner sink-cabinet combo offers essential storage. On a slim pass-through wall, a narrow cabinet pulls out to reveal an ironing board; closed, it’s the home’s message center.
Integrate cabinets into a mudroom.
Homes sometimes don’t have enough space for a separate laundry room, but careful attention to detail can help integrate that workaday space into a mudroom or kitchen. Here, this narrow pass-through space supplies a utility sink as well as lots of storage. Cabinets stretched to the ceiling offer storage for less-used items.
Keep it streamlined.
For very small laundry spaces, lots of details on cabinets may be visually distracting. Instead, focus the use of pattern and color on the floors and walls, particularly if there are open shelves that might benefit from a backdrop. These laundry shelves over the washer and dryer provide easily accessible but separate spots for necessities for each of the appliances.
Try mix-and-match storage types.
A variety of storage types—some open shelves, some narrow slots and a few closed doors—equals multiple ways to store laundry room necessities. Upper cabinets can stash seasonal items—think coats, gloves, hats and mittens—while pretty baskets keep the open spaces more organized.
Get creative with your entry.
If open door space is at a premium, consider sliders or bi-fold options to conserve square footage, especially if your laundry space is accessed frequently. The laundry room shelving here eliminates the need for even more open-door space.
Integrate your laundry in the kitchen.
For laundry spaces that fit into another collection of cabinets—say, a kitchen—consider a sliding door that opens and stashes so that the working space can be open without any intrusion. This simple cabinet offers a few shelves and two doors that move in and out of the way.
Move the eye up and around.
Wainscoting adds traditional heft to these laundry cabinets, as do the crown molding and panel reveals. If you don’t have the space or budget for a built-in countertop, consider a panel placed on top of your washer-dryer for folding or open storage.